Towards Climate Action (SDG13): Quantifying Environmental Influences on Marsh Plant Biomass with a New Allometric Equation

Marsh ecosystems, which are critical for coastal protection and biodiversity, are being endangered by global warming and its consequences. The resilience of these ecosystems is strongly reliant on dominant plant species, which assist in sustaining stability via complex biophysical feedback mechanisms. Estimating marsh plant biomass accurately is key to interpreting how stable and resilient marshes are as they deal with the consequences of climate change. This paper presents a novel machine learning-based technique for formulating a data-driven allometric equation to calculate plant biomass under environmental stressors. Using Schoenoplectus americanus genotypes in a garden study, we formulated a quadratic allometric equation that integrates flooding as an influential environmental factor, outperforming current models. We discover that the link between plant width, height, and aboveground biomass is mediated by flooding, underscoring the significance of addressing SDG13 for conserving marsh ecosystems.